Grace Zhao Week 1: Thank You, Five
I thank numbers. Mostly five, sometimes ten, and very occasionally fifteen, which is a strange habit considering numbers haven’t done anything for me. But in a rehearsal room, when someone shouts out, “Five minutes,” it’s always immediately followed by a chorus of voices responding, “Thank you, five.”
Outside of theatre, it would definitely warrant an explanation. Inside of it, it doesn’t. There’s an understood rhythm to it. Someone gives a time, everyone acknowledges it, and we all go back to our separate tasks.
That’s what I find interesting about theatre language. A lot of it is made up of ordinary words that take on a specific meaning. “Strike” means to take apart a set, “blocking” is the movement done in each scene, and “house” refers to the seating area for the audience. None of these definitions are particularly complicated, but knowing them means something because they come from being in the room.
Language does this constantly. Words only have meaning when people agree that they do, and communities take that idea even further. They develop their own phrases, shortcuts, references, and ways of communicating. Eventually, they become so familiar they start feeling less like vocabulary and more like an instinct. I don’t consciously decide to say “Thank you, five.” Somewhere along the way, a phrase I had to learn became something I simply knew.
Maybe that’s part of what it means to belong to a community. Not necessarily knowing everything about it, but recognizing things that would seem insignificant otherwise.
Theatre has taught me a lot of words. More importantly, it’s made me realize that language carries evidence of where a person has been. Sometimes identity isn’t announced, but it’s hidden in the small things we say without thinking.
I didn't know Theater had such interesting language. It's almost like it's a subculture. I can see the parallel with say sports or tech or art.
ReplyDeleteI agree that communities and groups of people in a particular profession can develop their own parlance, and those words are significant because they show a special, unique connection between you and specific people. For example, in volleyball, words like “set” or “spike” might seem unnatural to those out of context; but to people who play volleyball, it shows a mutual understanding that would not otherwise be achieved if they did not play. I love how you showed that being part of a community makes small but tangible effects on a person that connect you to others in the community. I believe that the communities that we are in, no matter how big or small, whether it is your family, friend group, or a club, shape who we are.
ReplyDeleteI wasn’t aware that theatre had its own language! I’m genuinely intrigued by how phrases get interpreted in different ways depending on the context and environment. It’s pretty awesome to me how you subconsciously grew to adapt it into your vocabulary over time, and your insights on language and community are things I would have never been able to put into words. Seriously, I had to sit there in awe for a few moments and reread your section about how language evolves and eventually becomes normalized in our everyday usage. It was articulated brilliantly! I also agree that identity truly isn’t a topic that can be fully encapsulated through simple labels—it’s a blend of our idiosyncrasies and hobbies—but that is exactly what makes it so unique. Though, now I’m a bit curious: what got you into theatre in the first place?
ReplyDeleteThis was thought-provoking to me because of how prior to reading your blog, I do not think I have ever paid attention to the unconscious vocabulary that exists inside of a community. The “thank you, five” phrase serves as a really good example of how spaces and communities shape the self. Specifically, I liked the line about how language carries evidence of where a person has been, as it reframes parlance into a symbol of identity. I can relate your experience toward my presence in marching band, where simple phrases like “set!” and “reset!” have had their meaning transformed.
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